Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his department has made of trends in the level of child poverty in the Gillingham and Rainham constituency; and what steps his department is taking to reduce child poverty in that area.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Statistics on the number and proportion of children living in relative poverty, including in parliamentary constituencies, are published annually in the Children in low income families: local area statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2022-to-2025.

Our Child Poverty Strategy sets out immediate action to reduce child poverty while delivering the foundations for long-term change. This includes removing the Universal Credit two-child limit, which is expected to lift 450,000 children out of relative poverty in the final year of this Parliament. Taken alongside other measures, including extending Free School Meals to all children in households in receipt of Universal Credit, the strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty in the final year of this Parliament, which is expected to lead to the largest reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.

The Strategy is supported by wider investment in families, including over £30 million for breakfast clubs, measures to cap branded school uniform costs, the introduction of Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority, £600 million over three years for the Holiday Activities and Food programme, and expanded free childcare. We are also strengthening local efforts to tackle child poverty through community projects and family services, including the £500 million Better Futures Fund

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding is available to support the regeneration of high streets in towns such as Gillingham, and what steps his department is taking to support local authorities in reversing high street decline in their areas.

Answered by Nesil Caliskan

This Government is working to help Gillingham and the wider Medway area thrive. Gilligham has received £20m of Pride in Place funding, out of £60m given to Medway Council. This comes alongside £1.5m of Pride in Place Impact Funding to support high street regeneration in Gillingham and Chatham.

The Government will bring forward a High Streets Strategy later this year backed by £301m, which includes funding for the Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund and High Street Rental Auctions. This will empower communities to take control of local assets and bring vacant properties back into use.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his department is taking to support local authorities in introducing Article 4 Directions to manage the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation in areas of high deprivation in the Medway area.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 9161 on 22 June 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding her department has allocated to further education and skills provision for Gillingham and Rainham in the current financial year; and what steps the Department are taking to improve qualification levels and employment outcomes for young people in that area.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

For the 2025/26 academic year, a total of £7.1 million has been allocated to five academies within the Gillingham and Rainham constituency, for the education of 16 to 19 students. This figure will increase to £7.9 million for the 2026/27 academic year, and includes funding for an additional academy, with new 16 to 19 provision.

In the 2025/26 academic year, of the funds allocated to further education institutions delivering within the Medway Local Authority area, we have released around £10 million for learners resident within Gillingham and Rainham constituency.

The government is seeking to improve qualification levels and employment outcomes for young people through reforms to post‑16 education and skills.

These include expanding technical and vocational education, strengthening apprenticeships and higher‑level technical training, and creating clearer pathways into skilled employment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his department has made of the adequacy of GP provision in Gillingham and Rainham; and what steps his department is taking to improve access to primary care services for residents in areas of higher deprivation within that area.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

Gillingham and Rainham sits within NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, where there was a 0.5% increase in general practice appointments in the 12-months to May 2026 compared to the previous year. In May 2026 there were a total of 1005 full-time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs), an increase from 933 in May 2025.

Kent and Medway ICB keeps GP provision under regular review, and as part of this has commissioned an independent review by the National Association of Primary Care into under-doctoring across the system. The review found that under-doctoring is not simply a numerical GP headcount issue, but a structural and geographically uneven capacity challenge shaped by clinical complexity, demographic pressure, workforce configuration, and changing professional expectations. It also found that some localities, including areas of higher deprivation, feel these impacts more.

In response to the review, the ICB is implementing a 24-month General Practice Improvement Plan, which will focus on improving access and responsiveness, strengthening practice resilience, supporting workforce stability and supervision, improving digital and telephony performance, reducing avoidable workload from primary-secondary care interface issues, and developing neighbourhood-based care models with general practice at their core.